Institutio Oratoria (Quintilian)

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	Institutio Oratoria Author: Quintilian	Translator: Harold Edgeworth Butler
2281	At obscuritas fit verbis iam ab usu remotis : ut si commentarios quis pontificum et vetustissima foedera et exoletos scrutatus auctores id ipsum petat ex his quae inde contraxerit , quod non intelliguntur . Hinc enim aliqui famam eruditionis adfectant , ut quaedam soli scire videantur .	Obscurity, on the other hand, results from the employment of obsolete words, as, for instance, if an author should search the records of the priests, the earliest treaties and the works of long-forgotten writers with the deliberate design of collecting words that no man living understands. For there are persons who seek to gain a reputation for erudition by such means as this, in order that they may be regarded as the sole depositories of certain forms of knowledge.
2282	Fallunt etiam verba vel regionibus quibusdam magis familiaria vel artium propria , ut Atabulus ventus et navis saccaria et in malo cosanum . quae vel vitanda apud iudicem ignarum significationum earum vel interpretanda sunt , sicut in his , quae homonyma vocantur : ut , Taurus animal sit an mons an signum in coelo an nomen hominis an radix arboris , nisi distinctum non intelligetur .	Obscurity may also be produced by the use of words which are more familiar in certain districts than in others, or which are of a technical character, such as the wind called "Atabalus," or a "sack-ship," or in malo cosanum. Such expressions should be avoided if we are pleading before a judge who is ignorant of their meaning, or, if used, should be explained, as may have to be done in the case of what are called homonyms. For example, the word taurus may be unintelligible unless we make it clear whether we are speaking of a bull, or a mountain, or a constellation, or the name of a man, or the root of a tree.
2283	Plus tamen est obscuritatis in contextu et continuatione sermonis et plures modi . Quare nec sit tam longus , ut eum prosequi non possit intentio , nec traiectione vel ultra modum hyperbato finis eius differatur . Quibus adhuc peior est mixtura verborum , qualis in illo versu . " Saxa vacant Itali , mediis quae in fluctibus , aras . "	A greater source of obscurity is, however, to be found in the construction and combination of words, and the ways in which this may occur are still more numerous. Therefore, a sentence should never be so long that it is impossible to follow its drift, nor should its conclusion be unduly postponed by transposition or an excessive use of hyperbaton. Still worse is the result when the order of the words is confused as in the line "In the midmost sea Rocks are there by Italians altars called." Again,
2284	Etiam interiectione ( qua et oratores et historici frequenter utuntur , ut medio sermone aliquem inserant sensum ) impediri solet intellectus , nisi quod interponitur breve est . Nam Vergilius illo loco , quo pullum equinum describit , cum dixisset , " Nec vanos horret strepitus , " compluribus insertis alia figura quinto demum versu redit , " Tum , si qua sonum procul arma dedere , Stare loco nescit . " Vitanda in primis ambiguitas ,	parenthesis, so often employed by orators and historians, and consisting in the insertion of one sentence in the midst of another, may seriously hinder the understanding of a passage, unless the insertion is short. For example, in the passage where Vergil describes a colt, the words "Nor fears he empty noises," are followed by a number of remarks of a totally different form, and it is only four lines later that the poet returns to the point and says, "Then, if tile sound of arms be heard afar, How to stand still he knows not." Above all, ambiguity must be avoided,
2285	non haec solum , de cuius genere supra dictum est , quae incertum intellectum facit , ut Chremetem audivi percussisse Demean , sed illa quoque , quae , etiamsi turbare non potest sensum , in idem tamen verborum vitium incidit , ut si quis dicat , visum a se hominem libram scribentem . Nam etiamsi librum ab homine scribi patet , male tamen composuerit feceritque ambiguum , quantum in ipso fuit .	and by ambiguity I mean not merely the kind of which I have already spoken, where the sense is uncertain, as in the clause Chremetem audivi percussisse Demean, but also that form of ambiguity which, although it does not actually result in obscuring the sense, falls into the same verbal error as if a man should say visum a se hominem librum scribentem (that he had seen a man writing a book). For although it is clear that the book was being written by the man, the sentence is badly put together, and its author has made it as ambiguous as he could.
2286	Est etiam in quibusdam turba inanium verborum , qui , dum communem loquendi more reformidant , ducti specie nitoris circumeunt omnia copiosa loquacitate , eo quod dicere nolunt ipsa ; deinde illam seriem cum alia simili iungentes miscentesque , ultra quam ullus spiritus durare possit , extendunt .	Again, some writers introduce a whole host of useless words; for, in their eagerness to avoid ordinary methods of expression, and allured by false ideals of beauty they wrap up everything in a multitude of words simply and solely because they are unwilling to make a direct and simple statement of the facts: and then they link up and involve one of those long-winded clauses with others like it, and extend their periods to a length beyond the compass of mortal breath.
2287	In hoc malum a quibusdam etiam laboratur ; neque id novum vitium est , cum iam apud Titum Livium inveniam fuisse praeceptorem aliquem , qui discipulos obscurare quae dicerent iuberet , Graeco verbo utens σκότισον . Unde illa scilicet egregia laudatio : Tanto melior ;	Some even expend an infinity of toil to acquire this vice, which, by the way, is nothing new: for I learn from the pages of Livy that there was one, a teacher, who instructed his pupils to make all they said obscure, using the Greek word σκότισον ( "darken it." ) It was this same habit that gave rise to the famous words of praise, "So much the better: even I could not understand you."
2288	ne ego quidem intellexi . Alii brevitatem aemulati necessaria quoque orationi subtrahunt verba et , velut satis sit scire ipsos quid dicere velint , quantum ad alios pertineat , nihil putant . At ego otiosum sermonem dixerim , quem auditor suo ingenio intelligit . Quidam , emutatis in perversum dicendi figuris , idem vitium consequuntur .	Others are consumed with a passion for brevity and omit words which are actually necessary to the sense, regarding it as a matter of complete indifference whether their meaning is intelligible to others, so long as they know what they mean themselves. For my own part, I regard as useless words which make such a demand upon the ingenuity of the hearer. Others, again, succeed in committing the same fault by a perverse misuse of figures.
2289	Pessima vero sunt ἀδιανόητα , hoc est , quae verbis aperta occultos sensus habent , ut cum dictus est caecus secundum viam stare , et , qui suos artus morsu lacerasset , fingitur in scholis supra se cubasse .	Worst of all are the phrases which the Greeks call ἀδιανόητα, that is to say, expressions which, though their meaning is obvious enough on the surface, have a secret meaning, as for example in the phrase cum ductus est caecus secundam viam stare, or where the man, who is supposed in the scholastic theme to have torn his own limbs with his teeth, is said to have lain upon himself
2290	Ingeniosa haec et fortia et ex ancipiti diserta creduntur , pervasitque iam multos ista persuasio , ut id iam demum eleganter atque exquisite dictum putent , quod interpretandum sit . Sed auditoribus etiam nonnullis grata sunt haec , quae cum intellexerunt acumine suo delectantur et gaudent , non quasi audierint sed quasi invenerint .	Such expressions are regarded as ingenious, daring and eloquent, simply because of their ambiguity, and quite a number of persons have become infected by the belief that a passage which requires a commentator must for that very reason be a masterpiece of elegance. Nay, there is even a class of hearer who find a special pleasure in such passages; for the fact that they can provide an answer to the riddle fills them with an ecstasy of self-congratulation, as if they had not merely heard the phrase, but invented it.
2291	Nobis prima sit virtus perspicuitas , propria verba , rectus ordo , non in longum dilata conclusio , nihil neque desit neque superfluat : ita sermo et doctis probabilis et planus imperitis erit . Haec eloquendi observatio . Nam rerum perspicuitas quo modo praestanda sit , diximus in praeceptis narrationis .	For my own part, I regard clearness as the first essential of a good style: there must be propriety in our words, their order must be straightforward, the conclusion of the period must not be long postponed, there must be nothing lacking and nothing superfluous. Thus our language will be approved by the learned and clear to the uneducated. I am speaking solely of clearness in style, as I have already dealt with clearness in the presentation of facts in the rules I laid down for the statement of the case.
2292	Similis autem ratio est in omnibus . Nam si neque pauciora quam oportet neque plura neque inordinata aut indistincta dixerimus , erunt dilucida et negligenter quoque audientibus aperta ; quod et ipsum in consilio est habendum , non semper tam esse acrem iudicis intentionem , ut obscuritatem apud se ipse discutiat et tenebris orationis inferat quoddam intelligentiae suae lumen , sed multis eum frequenter cogitationibus avocari , nisi tam clara fuerint , quae dicemus , ut in animum eius oratio , ut sol in oculos , etiamsi in eam non intendatur , incurrat .	But the general method is the same in both. For if what we say is not less nor more than is required, and is clear and systematically arranged, the whole matter will be plain and obvious even to a not too attentive audience. For we must never forget that the attention of the judge is not always so keen that he will dispel obscurities without assistance, and bring the light of his intelligence to bear on the dark places of our speech. On the contrary, lie will have many other thoughts to distract him unless what we say is so clear that our words will thrust themselves into his mind even when he is not giving us his attention, just as the sunlight forces itself upon the eyes.
2293	Quare non , ut intelligere possit , sed , ne omnino possit non intelligere , curandum . Propter quod etiam repetimus saepe , quae non satis percepisse eos qui cognoscunt putamus : Quae causa utique nostra culpa dicta obscurius est : ad planiora et communia magis verba descendimus ; cum id ipsum optime fiat , quod nos aliquid non optime fecisse simulamus .	Therefore our aim must be not to put him in a position to understand our argument, but to force him to understand it. Consequently we shall frequently repeat anything which we think the judge has failed to take in as he should. We shall say, for example, " I fear that this portion of our case has been somewhat obscurely stated: the fault is mine, and I will therefore re-state it in plainer and simpler language " ; for the pretended admission of a fault on our part creates an excellent impression.
2294	Venio nunc ad ornatum , in quo sine dubio plus quam in ceteris dicendi partibus sibi indulget orator . Nam emendate quidem ac lucide dicentium tenue praemium est , magisque ut vitiis carere quam ut aliquam magnam virtutem adeptus esse videaris . Inventio cum imperitis saepe communis ,	I now come to the subject of ornament, in which, more than in any other department, the orator undoubtedly allows himself the greatest indulgence. For a speaker wins but trifling praise if he does no more than speak with correctness and lucidity; in fact his speech seems rather to be free from blemish than to have any positive merit.
2295	dispositio modicae doctrinae credi potest ; si quae sunt artes altiores , plerumque occultantur , ut artes sint ; denique omnia haec ad utilitatem causarum solam referenda sunt . Cultu vero atque ornatu se quoque commendat ipse qui dicit et in ceteris iudicium doctorum , in hoc vero etiam popularem laudem petit , nec fortibus modo , sed etiam fulgentibus armis proeliatur .	Even the untrained often possess the gift of invention, and no great learning need be assumed for the satisfactory arrangement of our matter, while if any more recondite art is required, it is generally concealed, since unconcealed it would cease to be an art, while all these qualities are employed solely to serve the interests of the actual case. On the other hand, by the employment of skilful ornament the orator commends himself at the same time, and whereas his other accomplishments appeal to the considered judgment of the learned, this gift appeals to the enthusiastic approval of the world at large, and the speaker who possesses it fights not merely with effective, but with flashing weapons.
2296	An in causa Cicero Cornelii consecutus esset docendo iudicem tantum et utiliter demum ac Latine perspicueque dicendo , ut populus Romanus admirationem suam non acclamatione tantum , sed etiam plausu confiteretur ? Sublimitas profecto et magnificentia et nitor et auctoritas expressit illum fragorem .	If in his defence of Cornelius Cicero had confined himself merely to instructing the judge and speaking in clear and idiomatic Latin without a thought beyond the interests of his case, would he ever have compelled the Roman people to proclaim their admiration not merely by acclamation, but by thunders of applause? No, it was the sublimity and splendour, the brilliance and the weight of his eloquence that evoked such clamorous enthusiasm.
2297	Nec tam insolita laus esset prosecuta dicentem , si usitata et ceteris similis fuisset oratio . Atque ego illos credo , qui aderant , nec sensisse quid facerent nec sponte iudicioque plausisse , sed velut mente captos et quo essent in loco ignaros erupisse in hunc voluptatis adfectum .	Nor, again, would his words have been greeted with such extraordinary approbation if his speech had been like the ordinary speeches of every day. In my opinion the audience did not know what they were doing, their applause sprang neither from their judgment nor their will; they were seized with a kind of frenzy and, unconscious of the place in which they stood, burst forth spontaneously into a perfect ecstasy of delight.
2298	Sed ne causae quidem parum confert idem hic orationis ornatus . Nam , qui libenter audiunt , et magis attendunt et facilius credunt , plerumque ipsa delectatione capiuntur , nonnunquam admiratione auferuntur . Nam et ferrum ipsum adfert oculis terroris aliquid , et fulmina ipsa non tam nos confunderent , si vis eorum tantum , non etiam ipse fulgor timeretur .	But rhetorical ornament contributes not a little to the furtherance of our case as well. For when our audience find it a pleasure to listen, their attention and their readiness to believe what they hear are both alike increased, while they are generally filled with delight, and sometimes even transported by admiration. The flash of the sword in itself strikes something of terror to the eye, and we should be less alarmed by the thunderbolt if we feared its violence alone, and not its flash as well.
2299	Recteque Cicero his ipsis ad Brutum verbis quadam in epistola scribit , Nam eloquentiam , quae admirationem non habet , nullam iudico . Eandem Aristoteles quoque petendam maxime putat . Sed hic ornatus ( repetam enim ) virilis et fortis et sanctus sit nec effeminatam levitatem et fuco ementitum colorem amet , sanguine et viribus niteat .	Cicero was right when, in one of his letters to Brutus, he wrote, "Eloquence which evokes no admiration is, in my opinion, unworthy of the name." Aristotle likewise thinks that the excitement of admiration should be one of our first aims. But such ornament must, as I have already said, be bold, manly and chaste, free from all effeminate smoothness and the false hues derived from artificial dyes, and must glow with health and vigour.
2300	Hoc autem adeo verum est ut , cum in hac maxime parte sint vicina virtutibus vitia , etiam , qui vitiis utuntur , virtutum tamen iis nomen imponant . Quare nemo ex corruptis dicat me inimicum esse culte dicentibus . Non hanc esse virtutem nego , sed illis eam non tribuo .	So true is this, that although, where ornament is concerned, vice and virtue are never far apart, those who employ a vicious style of embellishment disguise their vices with the name of virtue. Therefore let none of our decadents accuse me of being an enemy to those who speak with grace and finish. I do not deny the existence of such a virtue, I merely deny that they possess it.
2301	An ego fundum cultiorem putem , in quo mihi quis ostenderit lilia et violas et anemonas , fontes surgentes , quam ubi plena messis aut graves fructu vites erunt ? Sterilem platanum tonsasque myrtos quam maritam ulmum et uberes oleas praeoptaverim ? Habeant illa divites licet , quid essent , si aliud nihil haberent ?	Shall I regard a farm as a model of good cultivation because its owner shows me lilies and violets and anemones and fountains of living water in place of rich crops and vines bowed beneath their clusters? Shall I prefer the barren plane and myrtles trimly clipped, to the fruitful olive and the elm that weds the vine? No, let such luxuries delight the rich: but where would their wealth be if they had nought save these?
2302	Nullusne ergo etiam frugiferis adhibendus est decor ? Quis negat ? Nam et in ordinem certaque intervalla redigam meas arbores . Quid illo quincunce speciosius qui , in quamcunque partem spectaveris , rectus est ? Sed protinus in id quoque prodest , ut terrae sucum aequaliter trahat . Surgentia in altum cacumina oleae ferro coercebo ;	Again, is beauty an object of no consideration in the planting of fruit trees? Certainly not! For my trees must be planted in due order and at fixed intervals. What fairer sight is there than rows of trees planted in échelon which present straight lines to the eye from whatever angle they be viewed? But it has an additional advantage, since this form of plantation enables every tree to derive an equal share of moisture from the soil.
2303	in orbem se formosius fundet et protinus fructum ramis pluribus feret . Decentior equus , cuius adstricta ilia , sed idem velocior . Pulcher aspectu est athleta , cuius lacertos exercitatio expressit , idem certamini paratior .	When the tops of my olive trees rise too high, I lop them away, with the result that their growth expands laterally in a manner that is at once more pleasing to the eye and enables them to bear more fruit owing to the increase in the number of branches. A horse whose flanks are compact is not only better to look upon, but swifter in speed. The athlete whose muscles have been formed by exercise is a joy to the eye, but he is also better fitted for the contests in which he must engage.
2304	Nunquam vera species ab utilitate dividitur . Sed hoc quidem discernere modici iudicii est . Illud observatione dignius , quod hic ipse honestus ornatus materiae genere esse debebit variatus . Atque , ut a prima divisione ordiar , non idem demonstrativis et deliberativis et iudicialibus causis conveniet . Namque illud genus ostentationi compositum solam petit audientium voluptatem , ideoque omnes dicendi artes aperit ornatumque orationis exponit , ut quod non insidietur nec ad victoriam sed ad solum finem laudis et gloriae tendat .	In fact true beauty and usefulness always go hand in hand. It does not, however, require any special ability to discern the truth of this. It is more important to note that such seemly ornament must be varied to suit the nature of the material to which it is applied. To begin with the primary classification of oratory, the same form of ornament will not suit demonstrative, deliberative and forensic speeches. For the oratory of display aims solely at delighting the audience, and therefore develops all the resources of eloquence and deploys all its ornament, since it seeks not to steal its way into the mind nor to wrest the victory from its opponent, but aims solely at honour and glory.
2305	Quare , quidquid erit sententiis populare , verbis nitidum , figuris iucundum , translationibus magnificum , compositione elaboratum , velut institor quidam eloquentiae intuendum et paene pertractandum dabit . Nam eventus ad ipsum , non ad causam refertur .	Consequently the orator, like the hawker who displays his wares, will set forth before his audience for their inspection, nay, almost for their handling, all his most attractive reflexions, all the brilliance that language and the charm that figures can supply, together with all the magnificence of metaphor and the elaborate art of composition that is at his disposal. For his success concerns himself, and not his cause.
2306	At ubi res agitur et vera dimicatio est , ultimus sit famae locus . Praeterea ne decet quidem , ubi maxima rerum momenta versantur , de verbis esse sollicitum . Neque hoc eo pertinet , ut in his nullus sit ornatus , sed uti pressior et severior et minus confessus , praecipue materiae accommodatus .	But when it is a question of facts, and he is confronted by the hard realities of battle, his last thought will be for his personal glory. Nay, it is even unseemly to trouble overmuch about words when the greatest interests are at stake. I would not assert that such themes afford no scope for ornament, but such ornament as is employed must be of a more severe, restrained and less obvious character; above all, it must be adapted to the matter in hand.
2307	Nam et in suadendo sublimius aliquid senatus , concitatius populus , et in iudiciis publicae capitalesque causae poscunt accuratius dicendi genus . At privatum consilium causasque paucorum , ut frequenter accidit , calculorum purus sermo et dissimilis curae magis decuerit . An non pudeat certam creditam periodis postulare aut circa stillicidia adfici aut in mancipii redhibitione sudare ?	For whereas in deliberative oratory the senate demand a certain loftiness and the people a certain impetuosity of eloquence, the public cases of the courts and those involving capital punishment demand a more exact style. On the other hand, in private deliberations and lawsuits about trifling sums of money (and there are not a few of these) it is more appropriate to employ simple and apparently unstudied language. For we should be ashamed to demand the repayment of a loan in rolling periods, or to display poignant emotion in a case concerned with water-droppings, or to work ourselves into a perspiration over the return of a slave to the vendor. But I am wandering from the point.
2308	Sed ad propositum . Et quoniam orationis tam ornatus quam perspicuitas aut in singulis verbis est aut in pluribus positus , quid separata , quid iuncta exigant , consideremus . Quanquam enim rectissime traditum est , perspicuitatem propriis , ornatum translatis verbis magis egere , sciamus nihil ornatum esse quod sit improprium .	Since rhetorical ornament, like clearness, may reside either in individual words or groups of words, we must consider the requirements of both cases. For although tile canon, that clearness mainly requires propriety of language and ornament the skilful use of metaphor, is perfectly sound, it is desirable that we should realise that without propriety ornament is impossible.
2309	Sed cum idem frequentissime plura significent ( quod συνωνυμία vocatur ) , iam sunt aliis alia honestiora , sublimiora , nitidiora , iucundiora , vocaliora . Nam ut syllabae e litteris melius sonantibus clariores sunt , ita verba e syllabis magis vocalia et , quo plus quodque spiritus habet , auditu pulchrius . Et quod facit syllabarum , idem verborum quoque inter se copulatio , ut aliud alii iunctum melius sonet . Diversus tamen usus .	But as several words may often have the same meaning (they are called synonyms), some will be more distinguished, sublime, brilliant, attractive or euphonious than others. For as those syllables are the most pleasing to the ear which are composed of the more euphonious letters, thus words composed of such syllables will sound better than others, and the more vowel sounds they contain the more attractive they will be to hear. The same principle governs the linking of word with word; some arrangements will sound better than others.
2310	Nam rebus atrocibus verba etiam ipso auditu aspera magis convenient . At universum quidem optima simplicium creduntur , quae aut maxime exclamant aut sono sunt iucundissima . Et honesta quidem turpibus potiora semper nec sordidis unquam in oratione erudita locus .	But words require to be used in different ways. For example, horrible things are best described by words that are actually harsh to the ear. But as a general rule it may be laid down that the best words, considered individually, are those which are fullest or most agreeable in sound. Again, elegant words are always to be preferred to those which are coarse, and there is no room for low words in the speech of a cultivated man.
2311	Clara illa atque sublimia plerumque materiae modo discernenda sunt . Quod alibi magnificum , tumidum alibi , et quae humilia circa res magnas , apta circa minores videntur . Ut autem in oratione nitida notabile humilius verbum et velut macula , ita a sermone tenui sublime nitidumque discordat fitque corruptum , quia in plano tumet .	The choice of striking or sublime words will be determined by the matter in hand; for a word that in one context is magnificent may be turgid in another, and words which are all too mean to describe great things may be suitable enough when applied to subjects of less importance. And just as a mean word embedded in a brilliant passage attracts special attention, like a spot on a bright surface, so if our style be of a plain character, sublime and brilliant words will seem incongruous and tasteless excrescences on a flat surface.
2312	Quaedam non tam ratione quam sensu iudicantur , ut illud , " Caesa iungebant foedera porca , " fecit elegans fictio nominis , quod si fuisset porco , vile erat . At quibusdam ratio manifesta est . Risimus , et merito nuper poetam , qui dixerat " Praetextam in cista mures rosere camilli . " At Vergilii miramur illud ,	In some cases instinct, and not reason, must supply the touchstone, as, for example, in the line: "A sow was slain to ratify their pacts." Here the poet, by inventing the word porca, succeeded in producing an elegant impression, whereas if lie had used the masculine porcuis, the very reverse would have been the case. In some cases, however, the incongruity is obvious enough. It was only the other day that we laughed with good reason at the poet who wrote: "The youngling mice had gnawed Within its chest the purple-bordered gown."
2313	" Saepe exiguus mus . " Nam epitheton proprium effecit , ne plus exspectaremus , et casus singularis magis decuit , et clausula ipsa unius syllabae non usitata addidit gratiam . Imitatus est itaque utrumque Horatius , " Nascetur ridiculus mus . "	On the other hand, we admire Virgil when he says: "Oft hath the tiny mouse," etc. " For here the epithet is appropriate and prevents our expecting too much, while the use of the singular instead of the plural, and the unusual monosyllabic conclusion of the line, both add to the pleasing effect. Horace accordingly imitated Virgil in both these points, when he wrote, "The fruit shall be a paltry mouse."
2314	Nec augenda semper oratio sed summittenda nonnunquam est . Vim rebus aliquando verborum ipsa humilitas adfert . An , cum dicet in Pisonem Cicero , Cum tibi tota cognatio serraco advehatur , incidisse videtur in sordidum nomen , non eo contemptum hominis , quem destructum volebat , auxisse ? Et alibi , Caput opponis , cum eo coruscans .	Again, our style need not always dwell on the heights: at times it is desirable that it should sink. For there are occasions when the very meanness of the words employed adds force to what we say. When Cicero, in his denunciation of Piso, says, "When your whole family rolls up in a dray," do you think that his use of the word dray was accidental, and was not designedly used to increase his audience's contempt for the man he wished to bring to ruin? The same is true when he says elsewhere, "You put down your head and butt him."
2315	Unde interim gratus fit iocis decor , qualis est ille apud M . Tullium Pusio , qui cum maiore sorore cubitabat , et , Flavius , qui cornicum oculos confixit , et pro Milone illud Heus tu Rufio , et Erucius Antoniaster . Id tamen in declamatoribus est notabilius laudarique me puero solebat , Da patri panem ; et in eodem , Etiam canem pascis .	This device may also serve to carry off a jest, as in the passage of Cicero where he talks of the "little sprat of a boy who slept with his elder sister," or where he speaks of "Flavius, who put out the eyes of crows," or, again, in the pro Milone, cries, "Hi, there! Rufio!" and talks of "Erucius Antoniaster." On the other hand, this practice becomes more obtrusive when employed in the schools, like the phrase that was so much praised in my boyhood, "Give your father bread," or in the same declamation, "You feed even your dog." But such tricks do not always come off,
2316	Res quidem praecipue in scholis anceps et frequenter causa risus , nunc utique , cum haec exercitatio procul a veritate seiuncta laboret incredibili verborum fastidio ac sibi magnam partem sermonis absciderit .	especially in the schools, and often turn the laugh against the speaker, particularly in the present day, when declamation has become so far removed from reality and labours under such an extravagant fastidiousness in the choice of words that it has excluded a good half of the language from its vocabulary.
2317	Cum sint autem verba propria , ficta , translata , propriis dignitatem dat antiquitas . Namque et sanctiorem et magis admirabilem faciunt orationem , quibus non quilibet fuerit usurus , eoque ornamento acerrimi iudicii P . Vergilius unice est usus .	Words are proper, newly-coined or metaphorical. In the case of proper words there is a special dignity conferred by antiquity, since old words, which not everyone would think of using, give our style a venerable and majestic air: this is a form of ornament of which Virgil, with his perfect taste, has made unique use.
2318	Olli enim et quianam et moerus et pone et pellacia aspergunt illam , quae etiam in picturis est gratissima , vetustatis inimitabilem arti auctoritatem . Sed utendum modo , nec ex ultimis teneris repetenda . Satis est vetus quaeso ; quid necesse est quaiso dicere ? oppido quidem usi sunt paulum tempore nostro superiores , vereor , ut iam nos ferat quisquam ; certe antegerio , cuius eadem significatio est , nemo nisi ambitiosus utetur .	For his employment of words such as olli, quianam, moerus, pone and pellacia gives his work that impressive air of antiquity which is so attractive in pictures, but which no art of man can counterfeit. But we must not overdo it, and such words must not be dragged out from the deepest darkness of the past. Quaeso is old enough: what need for us to say quaiso? Oppido was still used by my older contemporaries, but I fear that no one would tolerate it now. At any rate, antegerio, which means the same, would certainly never be used by anyone who was not possessed with a passion for notoriety.